History of Hypnosis

The concept of using trance to alleviate illness may be found throughout medical history. The earliest recordings (1,552 BC.) of the art of hypnosis, may be found in the Ebers Papyrus, healing practices recorded by the Egyptians. Their knowledge and expertise formed the basis of the medical profession today.

James Esdale (18th century) used hypnosis whilst he was chief surgeon of a hospital in Calcutta, India. He is credited with performing over three thousand operations and noted that hypnosis created ‘insensitivity to pain’. Interestingly the mortality rate of patients having surgery dropped from between 25 – 50% to a mere 3%.

Jean-Martin Charcot was widely recognised throughout the medical profession for his expertise in neurology. He conducted demonstrations on the use of hypnosis and because of his endorsement hypnosis became accepted by many doctors.
Charcot identified and labelled the various stages of hypnotic trance, this was the first recorded attempt at scientific classification.
During the First and Second World Wars hypnosis was employed to treat post -traumatic stress. Surgeons denied anaesthetics were forced to look for this alternative method of pain relief.

By 1955 the British Medical Association had approved hypnosis as a valid medical treatment, the American Medical Association followed suit in 1958.

The Mind
Think about your mind with your brain!

Mind and brain are interwoven – you could describe the brain as the structure and the mind as the resulting function or process.
The brain is divided in two hemispheres or halves – right and left, joined by a wide band of nerve called the corpus callosum.
The left hemisphere is widely accepted as the dominant side for writing, language (especially speech), logical, analytical and calculating thought.

The right hemisphere controls the visual tasks such as drawing, face recognition, visual problems, synthetic or holistic thought.

Conscious / subconscious Mind

The conscious mind is critical and judgmental, goal perceiving and goal directed. Conscious thought may solve problems and protect us from unwanted consequences by weighing up information and deciding on a course of action. Our personality and self (ego) form part of the conscious mind.

The unconscious, sometimes described as the subconscious, is infinitely larger, accounting for about 90% of our total mind power. It controls most of our brain functions, quite automatically through what is called the autonomic nervous system.
This side of the brain is where our thoughts, memories, emotions are filed, when we are not consciously thinking them.

Everything you have ever experienced in your life is stored in your subconscious.

*An important point to consider is that when there is a conflict between the conscious and subconscious mind the subconscious will always win out.

Clinical hypnosis – hypnotherapy
The basis of hypnotherapy depends on three fundamental factors:
Our physical bodies have a natural capacity for self-healing.
This ability can be influenced and enhanced by mental processes.
Mental processes are more effective when undertaken in a state of physical relaxation.
Physical relaxation can be attained by hypnosis - ‘All hypnosis is self-hypnosis’.
Someone else cannot hypnotise you, you can only allow yourself to be hypnotised.

Clinical hypnosis
Hypnotherapy involves the therapist offering therapeutic techniques to clear negative thoughts while the client is in a relaxed state, i.e., when the subconscious mind is predominant.
In a relaxed state the mind is able to recall memories as far back as childhood ones, also one is more open to suggestions, and when these are accepted they are subsequently incorporated into the internal belief system so negative behaviour and attitudes can be changed.

It is very important to mention here that the client is aware of everything that is being said. Hypnotherapy is NOT MIND CONTROL, a thought will only be accepted if it desirable or believable to the client.
Spending time in the hypnotic state is in itself a positive situation. Most people spend their waking hours in a heightened state of arousal so relaxing is a welcome respite from anxiety, depression or pain.

Beneficial Uses of Clinical Hypnosis
Medical Uses – Hypnotherapy can relieve virtually all types of chronic pain and discomfort, e.g. arthritis, body injuries, eczema, IBS, asthma, psoriasis, coping with cancer.

‘Hypno-birth’ therapy. Gaining the ability to cope with pregnancy and childbirth. I teach my clients the art of self-hypnosis so that they can relax during the various stage of labour – to be in control yet maintain the feelings (mind analgesia).
Motherhood is a wonderful experience, an event to be enjoyed.

Clinical hypnosis can be used to reduce anxieties or fears prior to operations, and to help reduce high blood pressure. The immune system may also be stimulated to promote the healing process. Clinical hypnosis is so effective because it CLEARS the root of the problem

Changing Negative to Positive – Because hypnotherapy is so versatile many problems can be cleared.

Stopping smoking – many people believe that stopping smoking is impossible, they cannot imagine life without a cigarette; this is not so.
If you genuinely want to quit, by far the easiest and most gentle way is via hypnotherapy.

Alcoholism – hypnosis can be used to change attitudes so that people actually want to get help to stop their habit.

Weight Control – Taking control of one’s weight is the same as taking control of one’s life. The solution is to clear away the perceived problems and get your life back on track.

Emotional problems – phobias, panic attacks, fear, anxiety, nerviness are all conditions experienced when we perceive a situation to be out of our control, or beyond our capabilities. The extreme state of arousal is called the ‘fight or flight’ response – the body tenses, producing classic symptoms such as fast heart beat, shortness of breath and stomach tension (butterflies).

My job is to ensure you erase those negative feelings, and by giving you positive self-perception this in turn leads to greater self-confidence and belief. There are many techniques for achieving this aim and because hypnotherapy is tailored to the individual this therapy is so effective.

Performing Enhancement
Confidence and motivation have a key role to play in attaining your best level of performance. Whether you are on the sports field, on stage, a creative person, studying for an exam, or seeking promotion in the work place, hypnotherapy can help you prioritise and achieve your goals. Above all it makes people confident by preventing destructive feelings of self-doubt, allowing you to keep adrenaline at exactly the right level to achieve the best results.

Examples:
Hypnotism can bring great benefits to the game of golf, a game of mental skill and control. Players need to stay calm and focused for long periods of time and a high level of self-confidence is also required.

When the professional golfer Bernhard Langer hit a bad patch he enlisted the services of a hypnotist. He soon experienced a marked improvement in his game.

Arthur Ashe, an American tennis player, attributed his winning of the Wimbledon tournament to hypnosis.

The actor Sylvester Stallone acknowledged the use of hypnosis in helping him to write the script for ‘Rocky’. During the shooting of the film he also listened to motivational tapes to boost his confidence for the role.

The musical composer Sergei Rachmaninov suffered a three-year unproductive period after the failure of his First symphony in 1897. Following hypnosis treatment he produced his successful Second Piano Concerto, and this inspired a period of creativity that lasted until 1917.